


some kind of sign

by nosecoffee



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Brownies, Gen, Magic, Magic AU, Magic bookstore, Magic is illegal AU, Sequel to Answers in Every Line, identity crisis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 09:57:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8619958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nosecoffee/pseuds/nosecoffee
Summary: “We already ate at home.” Eliza calls back.“‘We’?” Peggy shrieks. “Did you bring Angie? Is it time for witch initiation?”She rushes into the room and her gaze stops dead on Theo.“That isn’t my niece.” Peggy says, taking Theo in.“No she isn’t. This is Theo. She’s a runaway witch, and we need to help her."





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barricadebastard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barricadebastard/gifts).



When she is born, she opens her eyes, and Aaron sighs with relief at the hazel grey of them.

But then she blinks, and suddenly they are deep purple, for a moment.

She yawns, closes her eyes and they are grey again.

But Aaron still feels unnerved.

Theodosia is normal. She has to be. She’d tell him if she was magic. Because she trusts him.

They’re _married_ for goodness’ sake.

But if a magical child needs one or more magical parents, then was Aaron magic and never knew it?

 

~

 

Aaron remembers his childhood with a crystal clear clarity that no one should have of any time before they were five, but he remembers every word and every game.

He remembers learning how to walk, and how to talk, and he remembers chalk drawings on the pavement and apple slices in his backpack.

But there’s a strange blankness in his mind when he thinks of any time after graduating high school to the day he met Theodosia.

Years of his life, gone, and he cannot comprehend where they’ve gone, or why he forgot.

Aaron knows there is something he forgot, feels memories nagging at the back of his mind, but when he reaches for them, they flit away and he is left with a hazy, sleepy feeling in his mind.

He wonders if maybe he hit his head.

 

~

 

Theo has grey eyes. 

Ask anybody.

She walks on wobbly legs, and speaks with a toddlers lisp, and draws in green crayon - _“Green ith the best colour inth the world, dadda”_ \- and she has the grey eyes of her father.

He has a picture of her in his wallet, smiling with a mouth full of childs teeth, eyes wide and innocent, playing with some stuffed toys, but her eyes are purple in it.

Aaron does not know why this is.

Because he’d know if he were magic.

If he were magic, he’d bring back his memories of being a young adult.

If he were magic, he’d show his daughter how to hide her eyes.

If he were magic, he’d have the courage to ask the stranger in the supermarket with the sad eyes why he was so familiar, or why he decided to speak to Aaron at all.

Because he’s sure they’ve never met.

Because he’d remember someone like this stranger.

But he’s not magic, and that he knows with every inch of his soul.

So he lets the stranger go - there’s a ring on his finger anyway, and there’s texta on his cheek, and Aaron has his Theo’s.

What more could he ask for?

 

~

 

Theo is five years-old and she threw another kid into a wall.

He’s called out of work to come and pick her up and she sits brooding in her car seat on the ride home.

The teachers said the kid was teasing her about her eyes.

The teachers said the kid pulled her hair.

The teachers said the kid was screaming about her being magic after the accident.

The teachers said he had a concussion and was probably panicked.

Aaron glances at her in the rearview-mirror.

He knows they’re wrong.

The kid knows what he saw.

Aaron watches her eyes flash purple and swallows against the feeling that he once had eyes that did the same.

 

~

 

Theo is eight years-old and she broke a boy’s arm for bullying her friend.

The teachers tell him that they’ve both been suspended.

The teachers tell him that there were witnesses that watched her break it with her hands.

She sits in the car and tells him that it was an accident.

Aaron turns around and watches her with worried eyes.

She’s on the verge of tears and her eyes keep flashing grey and purple, grey and purple, grey and purple.

He takes her home and feeds her apple slices and puts her down for a nap.

When she wakes up before dinner her eyes stay grey and he sighs.

 

~

 

Theo is thirteen and she burnt down a school bathroom.

The teachers insist that she was playing with matches.

Her friends insist they saw her lighting them.

Other kids insist that they saw the box.

But they don’t keep matches at home.

And there’s no box in her pockets.

She sits in the backseat of the car, tears spilling down her cheeks, her eyes a constant deep amethyst.

She begs him to tell her if he’s magic.

She begs him to tell her if she’s magic.

He holds her hands and tells her that he doesn’t know.

She cries harder, and Aaron watches flames dance along her fingertips.

 

~

 

Theo is sixteen and she tells him that she’s leaving.

She tells him that she can’t be around them anymore, that she doesn’t want to endanger them. She tells him that she’ll be safe, and that she’ll come to visit, but that she can’t be there if it means that they’ll be in danger.

Aaron watches her pack up the things she needs, watches her pack up some food.

She kisses him on the cheek, her eyes flashing purple.

Theo tells him that she loves him and the door closes behind her.

He knows it’s for the best. He knows that she’s everything the world doesn’t want.

But then Theodosia comes home from work and asks where their daughter is, and Aaron wonders why he didn’t think of anything to say to his wife.

He flounders for words and her smile drops and he watches her rush to Theo’s room. And when she comes back, with tears in her eyes and asks him where she is, he can only tell her that he doesn’t know.

And she _knows._

She knows that Theo was magic, but she won’t tell him how.

 

~

 

And maybe Theodosia was magic herself. Maybe he’d been wrong all along and she _would_ hide that from him.

Aaron never finds out, because that night, when she’s out, searching for her daughter, she steps out onto the road and is hit by a car.

She’s put into an induced coma, and to Aaron, that’s as good as being dead.

So, there’s no one left for him.

Why does he want to see the sad-eyed stranger again?

 

~

 

Theo doesn’t know where she’s going.

All she knows is that she can’t go back.

If she goes back, everyone she loves will die.

There are some men stumbling down the street and they both look pretty drunk and it’s not like she can’t defend herself (in year seven she burnt down the girl’s bathroom with her magic on accident) (imagine what she could do if she actually wanted to hurt someone) but she walks faster anyway.

“Hey,” says someone, walking beside her on the sidewalk. Theo turns but the someone is wearing a coat with a blue hood that shields their face so she can’t tell for the life of her if they are friend or foe.

“Hi,” she replies, unsure.

“I’m Eliza, and I’m a witch, and they’re cops. Do you want to get out of here?”

Theo glances behind her at the stumbling men. As they pass under a streetlight she sees the glimmer of a badge. She looks forward again.

“How can you tell that I’m not a cop too?” Theo asks the woman - she’s pretty sure it’s a woman anyway, she could be wrong - and clutches the handle of her suitcase tighter.

The woman - she’s sure of it now - laughs, and it echoes on the walls around her. “You look a little young to be on the force. Plus, I can smell the magic on you, and it’d be pretty iffy to join the people that hunt you.”

Theo watches strands of hair that drift from the hem of the hood. The woman, Eliza, she said, turns to look at her, and Theo looks into her small, dark eyes. She looks to be in her early forties.

“Do you want to get out of here, little witch?” Eliza asks, and Theo nods.

Eliza takes her hand and leads her across the road to the train station. The policemen stop following them.

Eliza pulls down her hood and sighs. “My husband won’t be happy that I’m bringing home a visitor, but I’m sure Angie, my daughter, will be delighted.”

“You said you were a witch?” Theo asks her. Eliza nods.

“My two sisters and I are a coven. We’re known as ‘the Schuyler Witches’ in the magic community, though you look new. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

Theo swallows at the lump in her throat. “I left home. My mom and dad, they’re both normal. I’m like, half-convinced I’m a changeling or something, but I haven’t done much reading on it so I can’t be sure.”

“I doubt the fae would have any interest in a normal family, they like mages much better,” Eliza wrinkles her nose at the thought.

A train pulls in, Theo doesn’t catch the number, and Eliza pulls her into an empty carriage.

“I met a few mages at this book club once and they said there used to be this amazing bookshop downtown, but everything was silent because the glamours only covered so much.”

Eliza nods. “I used to go there when I was younger. It’s where I met my husband. The glamours covered everything but the spoken word, so no one was allowed to speak in the shop. Some inexperienced kid did and POOF-” Theo jumps at the sudden volume and Eliza chuckles. “-the place was found. Never reopened.”

“That’s so sad.”

She nods again. “It is. There are other bookstores of course, but this one had a very extensive library. It was heaven to my sisters and I.”

“Do you live with your sisters?” Theo puts down her suitcase and sits next to the older witch. She opens a makeup mirror and checks her eyes. They’re thankfully grey.

“No. Just me, Angie, and my boys. I have four sons, Philip, AJ, James, and John.” Eliza smiles fondly. Theo’s heart clenches with the memory of her father’s face as she left.

“That’s a lot of boys.” She comments, putting away the mirror, and pushing away the pain. 

“Yes,” she sighs. “But they’re all wonderful and I wouldn’t be complete without them.”

The train stops and Eliza stands, holding out her hand to Theo. “Come on, can’t be late for dinner.”

“Dinner?” Theo asks incredulously, taking Eliza’s hand and the handle of her suitcase. “It’s nine o’clock.”

Eliza only winks and leads her off the platform.

 

~

 

Eliza’s family is large and loud and welcoming and it certainly put Theo’s family experiences to shame.

The family is most certainly magic, no doubt about it.

(The oldest boy - Philip? - was broody and had his food delivered to his room. There were vines curling around his doorframe. “He’s doing his homework,” Eliza elaborated at Theo’s bewildered look. “Likes to be in the quiet.”)

Two little boys - twins, as Eliza explained - chased each other between chairs and such, giggling and lifting each other into the air with magic that left their hair platinum silver for the rest of dinner before it returned to its original chestnut colour.

The middle boy, AJ, spoke about his biology homework over dinner with his father (he didn’t seem to have magic at all, but Eliza sent him loving looks over dinner all the same) while the only girl, Angie, dragged Theo into a conversation about brownies.

(At first, Theo though she was referring to the treat, and with all her baking knowledge, was enthralled until Angie said something along the lines of, “Though they do have a habit of tying your hair to your headboard if you make them angry, so do be careful.”)

Eliza gave her the guest bedroom, on the same level as her eldest son, a dusty room, filled with books that had no titles and a collection of seashells.

Her sleep was pleasant, only broken for a glass of water at about two am. She’d seen Philip at the kitchen counter, nursing a sagging succulent back to health with his fingers. It rose, healthy once more a moment later, and Theo had no doubt, standing in the shadows and feeling awful for watching him like this, that he was the most magic of all of them.

 

~

 

Eliza takes her to her sister’s flat in Manhattan the next day, wearing her hood again.

“They both live there?” Theo asks, when they reach the building.

“No. Really, only my younger sister does, but my older sister spends most of her time there. Gelica lives with her boyfriends.”

The plural is surprising, but not as surprising as the conversations at breakfast that morning.

(“But _really_ \- it _can’t_ be _that_ easy to rip someone’s heart out, can it?” “Do you want a demonstration, Ange?” - “Is it ‘potato gems’ or ‘tater tots’?” “Tater tots, don’t be a drip.” - “You’re wearing _that_ shirt?” “Yeah. The same colour as the blood of my enemies.” 

“Jemmy comes from a line of powerful mages, and Thomas runs a successful company for something that I don’t care about.” Eliza chuckles and leads them into an elevator. “Gelica’s happy, so I’m happy. Doesn’t mean I have to like Thomas.”

Theo grips the handle in the elevator as it goes up (she’s never liked them, and _Speed_ and _Mission Impossible_ made it worse, even if that stuff doesn’t happen in real life), as Eliza continues to chatter about her sisters.

She knocks on the door at the end of the hall and a short, brown-haired girl wearing a flowery vest and jeans opens the door.

“Hey Liza, c’mon in.” She doesn’t even look at Theo and turns away, striding into the room, leaving the door ajar.

Eliza follows her in, closing the door after Theo, whispering, “That’s Peggy.”

“D’you want a drink? Or something to eat?” Peggy yells from the next room. Theo’s already enthralled with the amount of books in this flat.

“We already ate at home.” Eliza calls back.

“‘We’?” Peggy shrieks. “Did you bring Angie? Is it time for witch initiation?”

She rushes into the room and her gaze stops dead on Theo.

“That isn’t my niece.” Peggy says, taking Theo in.

“No she isn’t. This is Theo. She’s a runaway witch, and if you’d stopped for a second I’m sure you would’ve smelt it.” Eliza hurries towards her, pulling her hood down. “She’s the strongest witch I’ve ever met,” she hisses.

Peggy gives her another once-over, brows furrowed.

“Gelica has the final verdict, you know,” she murmurs.

“I know. But I didn’t know where else to take her.” Eliza replies, her voice just as soft as her sister’s.

Peggy nods and gestures for them to follow her into the living room.

Theo hopes that the oldest sister, the leader of the coven, Angelica Schuyler likes her.

 

~

 

“Aaron?” She whispers, dropping her glass, eyes wide and mouth agape. The glass shatters on the hardwood floor.

“Oh my god!” Peggy shrieks.

Angelica’s still staring at her. Eliza’s hurries forward and is pulling on Theo’s arm, saying something about the glass being sharp.

But Angelica’s _still staring at her_ and she looks horrified, like she’s a ghost. “Theo,” Eliza murmurs, eyes on the shards. “Theo, honey, come away from there. Theo. _Theo._ Angelica! Don’t just stand there! Look at the mess you’ve made!”

Peggy rushes forward, a dustpan and brush in her hand and begins to frantically sweep up the mess, muttering about how expensive replacing the floorboards would be. Angelica hasn’t moved.

“How do you know my dad’s name?” Theo demands. Angelica’s mouth opens and closes, but there’s no sound. “How?”

“Theo, come away from there!” Eliza tugs her away from the middle of the room, and onto the rug by the tv. “Angelica, what’s going on?”

“Aaron,” she whispers again, brows furrowing in confusion. “But- but- Aaron - Aaron’s-”

“For god's sake, Angelica! What are you talking about?” Eliza yells.

Angelica walks towards Theo and takes her face in her hands. She stares at her. “But Aaron’s dead.” She says flatly. “Aaron’s dead, and you look just like him.”

Theo grasps her wrist, her fingers burning from the magic rising through her skin. She wants this woman away from her, this woman who claims her father is dead, or someone with her father’s name.

Angelica yelps, jerking away from her, and clutches her wrist where the light burn is. Theo feels the glamour on her eyes disappear in her anger. _“Stay away from me.”_ She hisses.

Angelica gapes at her again, shocked and pained and confused and Theo licks her lips, her eyes cold and harsh.

“Angelica, what- _Theo_.” Eliza gasps, looking at her face. Expressions flit across her face in a matter of seconds; confusion, shock, sadness, understanding.

Theo pulls the glamour back in place, but the two sisters are still staring, while Peggy sweeps up glass from the floor, muttering about hardwood floors.

“You already knew I was magic,” Theo begins, but Eliza is shaking her head.

“Theo, do you remember that bookshop we talked about last night?” She asks. Theo nods, thinking back to the bookshop where if you spoke, you peeled the glamour off the store and revealed it to the normal people.

“What does that have to do with my dad?” Theo mumbles, scared.

“The owner, the owner was taken when the shop was found. We all thought he was dead, but-” Angelica cuts her off.

“Is your father Aaron Burr?”

Theo takes a step back. “Yes.” Angelica looks like all the pieces have fallen into place. But Theo is still scared. “But he’s normal. Both my parents are.”

“Normal’s can’t have magical children, Theo,” Peggy tells her, standing up. “Huh, she does look like Aaron.”

“Then maybe I’m a changeling after all.” She protests, but the coven shakes their heads collectively.

“We all thought your father was dead. But it seems as though we were wrong.” Angelica says, still clutching her wrist.

“But how can you tell that he’s my father?”

“Your eyes,” Eliza explains. “They’re the exact same purple as his.”

“And as Philip’s.” Peggy mutters and Eliza elbows her in the ribs.

“You mean, my dad isn’t normal?” Theo can feel tears brimming in her eyes and wills them back, because when she cries, the glamour grows weak and she can’t control it. “You mean he lied to me, my whole life?”

Angelica furrows her eyebrows. “No. I don’t think that he was lying to you. But I do think that he was trying to protect you.”

“What does that mean?” Peggy asks.

Eliza seems to have caught on. “I think what she’s trying to say is that he forgot.”

“Then we should go and make him remember!” Theo shouts.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because in forgetting he’s safe.”

 

~

 

Aaron shakes awake at the sudden knock at the door. He wasn’t exactly asleep. He was staring at his coffee, watching it go cold.

He stands on shaky legs, wondering what other bad news he could receive.

It’s not a police officer, when he opens the door.

It’s a girl. She has light brown hair and brown eyes, and her flowery vest and grey jeans are sprayed with what looks like drying coffee stains. She looks at him with sadness in her eyes.

And though Aaron is positive he’s never met her before, she seems so utterly familiar.

“Um, hi.” She says. “Are you Aaron Burr?”

He nods. She nods back.

“I’m Margarita. I’m here with a message from your daughter.”

So maybe not more bad news. But still news of a loved one from a stranger. Wasn’t Theodosia’s accident enough?

“Theo?” He murmurs. Margarita nods again.

“Yes. She says, ‘I’m sorry dad. I can’t come back, knowing now what I do.  Tell mom I love her, and take care of yourself. I’m not coming back’.”

“You’re in contact with her?” Aaron asks, wondering if the news of Theodosia’s accident will crush her.

“She’s staying with my sister.” Margarita explains. “You want me to deliver a message to her?”

“Yes.”

 

~

 

Theo cups the mug in her hands. Angelica made it for her two hours ago, but it’s still warm. Magic is a useful thing when she needs it to be.

Thomas, one of Angelica’s boyfriends, sat down and talked to her about... _something._ She can’t remember what it was now. He was nice, though. And really, that’s all that matters.

Eliza went home, saying something about James and John blowing the house down, and Angie breeding a colony of brownies in her bedroom, and Philip turning the entire place into his own personal greenhouse, and now she’s stuck in a house with a woman who she burned.

It’s not awkward.

Just a little tense.

The door opens and Theo looks up, relieved to see the youngest of the Schuyler Coven, but her relief dies when she sees the look on Peggy’s face.

“Peggy?” She asks, standing up and putting the mug down. “Is everything alright?”

“Um,” Peggy wipes her face - her eyes, her nose, but it doesn’t hide the way she won’t look at Theo - and rubs her arm. “I passed on your message.”

“Oh,” Theo wonders why Peggy looks so upset. Her father let her go without much protesting, but Peggy looks like he shouted at her, demanding for her to bring Theo home. “What happened?”

“He took it okay, but he sent his own message as well.” Peggy wipes her face again. “It’s about your mother.”

A chill runs down Theo’s spine and an alarm goes off in her brain, telling her that something is terribly wrong. “Is she okay?”

“She, uh-” Angelica walks into the room, her hand in Thomas’s and stops dead at the sight of Peggy wiping tears off her face. “She- she got hit by a car.”

Theo’s heart stops.

**Author's Note:**

> Asdfghjkl;'/ God help me. You know the drill. my Tumblr is @nose-coffee and comments and kudos are amazing. *Finger guns* bye.


End file.
